A bit of distraction (and last opportunity - we thought) to go on holiday before the baby arrived turned into a very pleasand Christmas and New Years in Beijing, taking advantage of Wendy being on posting - and thus having swanking paid-for apartments.
We managed to fit in a bit of swanning around, cruising over to Amsterdam, before I joined the boys for the Hong Kong Sevens World Tour. London->Hong Kong->Auckland->Wellington->Auckland->Los Angeles->Las Vegas->Los Angeles->London.
Not for the weak of heart, or faint of liver.
We discovered a few key things:
- 4-litre jugs of vodka red bull are Wrong.
- But its awfully nice of them to put spill-proof lids on them
- The bars in Wan Chai will stay open as late as you can stay upright(ish)
- Hotdogs at a baseball game are manky
- You can't get a beer in LA after 2AM
- Even in a strip joint
- The only women to talk to you at 6AM in a bar on the casino floor in Vegas are hookers
After all that craziness, and a quick Hilton spring Ball came the main event - the arrival of Emily! I consider myself incredibly lucky that I was able to get a long contract that was part time/work from home for the first 7 or so months. Being able to see her change day-by-day, week-by-week has been fantastico. Being back at work full-time now = not so fantastico.
Taking her mouseness back to NZ was amazing (after the jet lag) - the inspiration came from the Walkers - their enjoyment of Emily was so obvious that it seemed the appropriate thing to do to take her home to the Matthews as well.
Now? Things have settled into a routine (for now). Get up, do mouse-minding while Alix showers, breakfasts, etc. Get cleaned, shaved etc. Catch Tube. Work. Catch Tube. Play with Emily. Bottle, bath, bed. Dinner, spend time with lovely wife. Sleep.
I may have not much time to myself (the Tube mainly), or much time to read (ditto), but I can't actually complain that much.
And I joined the library. Free books!
